Zebras falter against Granite Bay in Invitational tournament

Day two of the 22nd annual Lincoln Invitational tournament ended with the Lincoln varsity girls basketball team suffering a bitter defeat at the hands of Granite Bay, 64-36.

Excitement swelled as the game got under way, Taylor Galli twice found Chantel Sharp for a 3-pointer in the first period. But as Granite Bay corrected lapses in their defense, the score quickly became lopsided.

Daeja Black played outstanding for the Grizzlies. The freshman shot 10-for-14 from the floor and finished the night with 25 points.

Cassandra Jaimes led the Zebras with 12. Jaimes provided a presence beneath the basket against Granite Bay’s height advantage.

Sharp contributed three shots from beyond the arc and trailed only Jaimes in scoring with nine.

Friday’s loss eliminated the Zebras from defending their home court in the championship round. But it set up a match with Pioneer Valley League opponent Bear River.

Before Friday’s loss to Rio Americano, Bear River boasted a 12-0 record on the season and commanded top-tier presence within the PVL.

Saturday’s match will preview PVL play two weeks before Lincoln hosts Center on Jan. 9.

Rio Americano 44, Bear River 37

Rio Americano handed Bear River their first loss of the season and clinched a berth in the championship round.

After putting up 74 the night prior, Rio Americano proved up to the task of slowing down the Bruins offense. The Raiders limited the Bruins to just 10 points by the half.

The Bruins came back to make the game competitive. Bear River closed to within two points with less than three minutes in the game.

But Bear River shot 1-5 to close the game. That allowed Rio Americano to win their second closely-contested game in as many nights.

Elizabeth Moulton led the Raiders with 16 points, while Daizy Wilson banked 11 with key shots down the stretch.

Wheatland 42, Rio Linda 40

The Wheatland Pirates held off Rio Linda despite allowing multiple chances for a comeback at the end of Friday’s win.

After capturing a six-point lead with less than two minutes to play, Wheatland advanced the ball cautiously under the scrutiny of Rio Linda’s defense.

The Knights’ pressure was enough to cause four-consecutive turnovers in the waning minutes. But in spite of repeated chances, the Knights failed to tie or overtake the Pirates’ lead.

With 10 seconds left, Rio Linda attempted two shots from beyond the arc, neither of which landed.

The Pirates will play River Valley in Saturday’s consolation game.

River Valley 60, San Juan 34

As day two of the Lincoln Invitational got under way, River Valley defeated San Juan in an all-around victory.

San Juan struggled to keep possession, turning the ball over 12 times in the opening period.

By the half, River Valley controlled the scoreboard 27-16. In the third period, the Falcons assumed clear control with a 20-5 run.

But as the game got out of hand, the Spartans turned an 11-0 run in the final period. The effort presented in the face of clear defeat could prove useful in the opening game of the final day of the tournament against Rio Linda.